Category: Volunteering

Midlothian Volunteer Awards 2025

Ellis on 9 June, 2025

On Thursday 29 May 2025, volunteers from across Midlothian arrived at Newbattle Abbey College for our annual Midlothian Volunteer Awards Ceremony. We’re thrilled to celebrate all the amazing efforts of volunteers each year.

This celebration is a part of Volunteer’s Week, a national initiative where we appreciate volunteers across Scotland. It provides a great opportunity to highlight some of the fabulous volunteering projects that exist in Midlothian.

Photographs

Special thank you to Kris Soul Photography for the wonderful photos.

View All Photos

Programme

View the award winners & nominees in our 2025 programme. There are a limited number of printed copies available to pick up from MCA’s office.

Midlothian Volunteer Awards 2025 Programme by Zoe Innes

Mascot Campaign

Last year, instead of introducing a new mascot, we brought back all our previous mascots to celebrate with everyone. This year, we are excited to continue the tradition by introducing a brand-new mascot — a lovely bear! With the recent merger of Volunteer Midlothian and Midlothian Voluntary Action, and our new name, we thought the bear deserved a new name too.

We hosted a Name the Bear competition taking place over Volunteers’ Week, and are excited to announce the winning name for our mascot: Middie!

Chosen for its fun and friendly feel, Middie is a perfect fit for a bear representing the heart of Midlothian. It’s short, memorable, and captures the local spirit we’ve seen throughout the mascot’s journey. Congratulations to the winner of our Name the Bear competition — we’ll be in touch with you soon to arrange your prize, the bear for you to keep!

A huge thank you to all our sponsors for getting involved and taking fantastic photos with the bear.

Thank You

The Midlothian Volunteer Awards couldn’t take place each year without the support from our sponsors. Thank you!

Capital City Partnership

David Wilson Homes

EDF Energy

Midlothian Council

Midlothian Health & Social Care Partnership

Newbattle Abbey College

Scottish Fire & Rescue Service

Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)

Well Done You Ltd

Follow us on social media to keep up-to-date on all our events:

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Why Volunteering Matters – In the Words of Midlothian’s Volunteers

Ellis on 6 June, 2025

This Volunteers’ Week, we are excited to share findings from our first-ever Midlothian-wide Volunteer Satisfaction Survey. This survey was created to better understand the impacts of volunteering on volunteers themselves, to enhance volunteer support and help organisations better demonstrate their impact.

This year is our first iteration of the survey, and as such was only shared for a limited time with a hand full of Volunteer Involving Organisations (VIOs). We were please to receive 68 responses from volunteers across Midlothian, sharing their reflections on how volunteering has shaped their wellbeing, skills, confidence, and connection to their community. The responses paint a powerful picture:

  • 99% said volunteering helped them achieve their goals
  • 98% said volunteering has helped them make a difference in others’ lives.
  • 93% of weekly volunteers feel more connected to their community

“Life-changing. Astounded by the skill of the staff and other partners to provide inclusive opportunities. Proud to be a part of my project and I feel my contribution is well valued.”

Many spoke about the joy of feeling useful, learning new things, and making real connections across generations. These insights help shine a light on the often-unseen personal benefits of volunteering—and why creating good volunteer experiences matters.

“Volunteering has been a really positive experience for me mentally, physically, and socially.”

We plan to build on these insights by running the survey every year and opening it up to even more volunteers and organisations. Thank you to everyone who took part—and to the volunteers who continue to support our communities to thrive.

Read more insights from the survey:

Midlothian Volunteer Satisfaction Survey – 2025 InsightsDownload

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Plans Scrapped for Volunteer PVG Fees – Free Membership Continues

Ellis on 3 February, 2025

Midlothian TSI are delighted to confirm that free Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme membership for Qualifying Voluntary Organisation (QVO) volunteers will continue.

This announcement follows Disclosure Scotland’s consultation over PVG fees last year. We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the consultation, and in doing so, influencing this decision. There was a great national response and consistent messaging from across the third sector.

As well as continuing the fee waiver for QVOs, fees for the new Level 1 and Level 2 disclosures will remain at their equivalent levels in 2025. Further details of the announcement can be found on Disclosure Scotland’s website.

The Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 will begin implementation on April 1 2025, with the first key change being that PVG membership for those in Regulated Roles will become mandatory.

Keep informed of all the upcoming changes by attending information sessions regularly delivered by both Volunteer Scotland and Disclosure Scotland.

Read our previous blog post summarising the changes here, or download the PDF version below.

PVG Changes HandoutDownload

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Changes to the PVG Scheme: Are You Prepared?

Ellis on 22 November, 2024

Disclosure Scotland will be implementing the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 from April 1 2025 onwards. This includes making changes to Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme memberships. Below we have highlighted some of the key changes to be aware of and what you need to do to prepare. You can read a full summary of the changes on Disclosure Scotland’s website.

From April 1 2025:

Regulated Roles: Current ‘Regulated Work’ will become ‘Regulated Roles.’ If you’re in a Regulated Role, you legally need to become a member of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme.

New Responsibilities: Both the organisation and the individual are now responsible for ensuring PVG membership if in a Regulated Role. This means if your organisation mistakenly says you don’t need a PVG when you actually do, both parties could face legal consequences.

New Roles Added: Some roles that weren’t previously covered by the PVG scheme, like football agents, talent scouts, and certain hospice positions, now require it.

What You Need To Do:

Check if You’re Doing or Providing a Regulated Role: Identify if your role or your staff/ volunteers’ roles are classed as Regulated Roles.

Get PVG Membership if Required: If your role qualifies, make sure you join the PVG scheme before April 1 2025.

Stay Updated: Check out Disclosure Scotland’s website at www.disclosure.gov.scot for full details of the upcoming changes.

If you are unsure about the changes or have any questions, contact Volunteer Scotland Disclosure Services (VSDS):

Phone: 0178 684 9777

Email: ku.gr1751613025o.dna1751613025ltocs1751613025reetn1751613025ulov@1751613025serus1751613025olcsi1751613025d1751613025

Website: www.volunteerscotland.net/disclosure-services

Download the leaflet version of this page:

PVG Changes HandoutDownload

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Pond Rescue! Volunteers Renew the Community Garden

Ellis on 16 August, 2024

Our community garden at Dalkeith Country Park had a very welcome visit from the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Division. The team arrived as part of a corporate volunteering day, just in time to help us repair our leaky pond!

They worked together to empty the pond and reline it, even rescuing three frogs and some tadpoles along the way.

On top of restoring the pond, the volunteers took on the task of painting our boundary fence. Despite the hot weather, they worked tirelessly and made a huge difference in a single day.

We are incredibly grateful to the team for their time and effort. Without their support we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish such a big job so efficiently!

Thank you for helping us create a beautiful space for both our community and local wildlife.

Click here to learn more about our Transform project and community garden.